WWE Hell In A Cell Review


Welcome to the 2017 Hell In A Cell review. We have two cell matches in addition to the next chapter of Jinder Mahal's WWE Title reign.

Kickoff: Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable vs Hype Bros

This is Benjamin's first PPV since 2010. Or it would be if it was on the PPV. They started with some back and forth action before they are rudely interrupted by an advert. Owens is apparently fighting Shane tonight, who knew? 

Back from the adverts, it is exactly the same as it was before that. Zack Ryder goes for the hot tag, even though he was the one in control. They pick up the pace with some slightly sloppy but pretty entertaining wrestling. 

As was to be expected it was miscommunication that cost Hype Bros the match. It was a good match, nothing mind blowing but a fun watch. ***

Smackdown Tag Titles, Hell In A Cell Match - New Day vs Usos

Well we are starting off strong. This is the match that I'm most looking forward to on the entire show. New Day enter first and cuts a promo saying that they will bring some biblical gloom and doom.We are wasting no time getting into it, with both teams starting hot. Big E hits the spear from the ring to the cell wall. 

Back in the ring, Woods attacks one of the Usos with a trombone. Then another trombone, a cowbell, and a gong. He heads to the top but gets cut off with a chair to the face. Usos take control by beating Big E with kendo sticks and crushing Woods against the cell wall.

New Day hit a uranage/backstabber combo from the apron to the floor. It looked painful. They hit the Up, Up, Down, Down but it is broken up. Back at ringside, New Day use kendo sticks to trap one of the Usos in the corner of the cell. It's always nice to see original ways to use the cell.

The Uso breaks free and they take control, hitting a suicide dive/doomsday device on Woods. They follow that up with twin top rope splashes on Big E but he kicks out. This clearly annoys them as they crack out the handcuffs.

They handcuff Woods and hang him over the ring post. They then proceed to beat the shit out of him with kendo sticks. This leaves Big E alone but he is PISSED. He picks up the Usos and runs them into the cell wall. In the end the 2-on-1 advantage got the better of him. 

The Usos hit stereo splashes but Woods came out of nowhere to make the save while still handcuffed. He pays for this by taking even more kendo stick shots. He has taken a metric fuck ton of them tonight. Woods fights back with a headbutt but it's in vain as the Usos hit the stereo splashes, this time assisted by a chair, and picked up the win to take back the titles.

This was a magnificent match that featured a bunch of spots that I haven't seen before. Tremendous way to kick off the show, to end this feud and the best Hell In A Cell match since WrestleMania XXVIII. ****3/4

Randy Orton vs Rusev

Well, it immediately lasted longer than their last two matches. Orton went for the RKO early on but he wasn't able to get it and the early going was mostly in the favour of Rusev. He escaped the draping DDT and ran him into the barricade but could only get a 2 count. 

He continued to have the advantage, hitting Orton with a spin kick and a clothesline on the floor. I then spaced out for second and Orton was in control. He hits the snap powerslam on Rusev. Rusev once again escapes the draping DDT and hits a slam and a head kick for 2. 

Orton heads to the floor and Rusev follows him out. Rusev hits a superkick and heads up top. He shouts 'Rusev Day!' and goes for the headbutt. He misses. Orton finally hits the draping DDT and does his pre-RKO ritual but Rusev tries to hit an Accolade out of nowhere. He fails and eats an RKO for the loss.

This was a match. It took place and there was a winner. Next. **1/2

United States Title - AJ Styles vs Baron Corbin vs Tye Dillinger

Dillinger was added to the match on the kickoff show. Why? Cuz Daniel Bryan likes him. Kind of proves the point Owens is making in the main event feud. The faces immediately turn their attention to Corbin, who bails to the floor. 

For a large part this match it fell into the problems that befall a lot of triple threat matches, one person is frequently taken out of the match until they either need to make the save or take their part in the match. I'm not saying it was bad, because it wasn't by any means, but it was a touch formulaic.

It picked up nicely towards the end with some nice sequences and some well timed saves and near falls. Styles did a great job of being the glue that held everything together too. They also played off the lucky/flash wins that Dillinger had been picking up recently.

The finishing sequence was good with Styles escaping the Tye Breaker and hitting the Phenomenal Forearm, only for Corbin to make his way back in and violently kick Styles from the ring. Corbin got the win and the title.

The match was good but it could have been better if it was a little less beholden to the triple threat formula. It could have done with being a touch shorter too. ***1/2


Smackdown Women's Title - Natalya vs Charlotte Flair

They start off by working move for move before Natalya takes control by working over Charlotte's leg. Charlotte fights back, hitting the Flair chops, but the leg is giving her some grief. 

Charlotte heads up top for a one legged moonsault, AKA the Zach Gowen Special, but Natalya cuts her off and hits a Liger bomb for a 2 count. They both try for pinfalls before the fight spills to the outside. 

Natalya runs Charlotte knee first into the ring steps and rolls her back in and applies the Sharpshooter. Charlotte escaped by forcing Natalya head first into the turnbuckle. They headed outside and Charlotte hit the moonsault to the outside, causing more damage to her leg.

Natalya then attacks Charlotte with a chair, causing a DQ finish. I understand that this was done to continue the feud but it was a shit finish. Natalya continues to beat Charlotte's knee with the chair. **


It's Fashion Files time. The Ascension turn up in amazing disguises and deliver a package to Breezango. It's a poster of the Ascension that says they want to be their friends. Breezango run down Ascension so Ascension take off their disguises and tell Breezango that they have hurt their feelings. There is a knock at the door and when they open it there is a briefcase. The Fashion Police have a new case. Pulp Fashion will begin on Tuesday.

WWE Title - Jinder Mahal vs Shinsuke Nakamura

I do not hold out high hopes for this, based off their previous matches. Nakamura uses his pace and striking to get the upper hand early on but the tide turns when they head outside and Jinder runs Nakamura into the ring post. 

The next few minutes are Jinder implementing what he learned from watching the Best of the Warlord DVD. Nakamura briefly gets the advantage but the Singh Brothers run interference. They run interference again. And again. 

Eventually they get banished from ringside as Nakamura hits the Kinshasa. They still distract the referee and Jinder manages to grab the bottom rope before the 3 count. Nakamura misses a second Kinshasa, allowing Jinder to hit the Khallas and win again. 

It was shit. It was always going to be shit. All of Jinder's matches are shit. He is painfully boring to watch. I am done with this experiment. If you have seen one Jinder match, you have seen them all. *

Bobby Roode vs Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler walks to the ring with no music, no tron video, no nothing. It's the best thing he has done in a while. The match starts off with Roode showing that he can hang with Ziggler in a hold for hold setting. 

Ziggler manages to turn the tide and wears Roode down with a sleeper. The crowd is dead for this. Roode puts a run together and Ziggler again cuts him off with a sleeper. The fans still don't care. 

Ziggler hits a shit looking Fameasser but Roode kicks out. Ziggler then stamps the foot for the Sweet Chin Music and the crowd actually wakes up briefly. 

There is a series of roll ups and Roode picks up the win while using the tights. This was not a very good match and that was exacerbated by the crowd. The bottom has fallen out of this card. **

Falls Count Anywhere, Hell In A Cell - Shane McMahon vs Kevin Owens

I'm going to be honest, as far as I'm concerned, Shane is the heel here. He revisionist history doesn't fly with me. The match starts outside the cell, with Shane throwing a bunch of his terrible looking punches. 

Owens takes over, throwing Shane into the cell and grinding his face into the mesh in front of his kids. His kids can't sell distress for shit. Owens does Shane's jig and throws Shane into the steps. Owens says that it's his fucking show.

In the ring Owens is in complete control. He hits a senton and a cannonball but only gets a 2. Owens heads up top and goes for a swanton but Shane gets the knees up. This leads to more classic Shane punches and a good looking float over DDT. 

Shane heads up top now but misses a shooting star press. Owens hits a frog splash but Shane kicks out. Owens goes for the pop-up powerbomb but Shane catches him in a triangle choke. Owens fights him off by powerbombing him onto the ring steps.

Owens sets up a table against the wall of the cell and sits Shane against it. He goes for a cannonball off the apron but Shane moves. Shane grabs half of the table and beats Owens with it. They head back in Shane hits the Van Terminator (it's a better name than the Coast To Coast). Owens gets his foot on the rope.

Shane wants out of the cell so he gets some bolt cutters and lets himself out. They head outside and Owens hits a DDT on the ramp. Owens then sends Shane ballsack first into the cell door. They fight to the announce tables and Owens hits a dirty headbutt. 

Owens puts Shane on the table and gets on the barrier to splash him through it, but then he has a better idea. Or worse idea. He heads to the top of the cell. He can't bring himself to jump though so Shane follows him up there. 

They have a bit of a match up there. They take a number of nerve wracking bumps, considering that going through it would fuck you to death. Owens even hits a pop-up powerbomb on top of the cell. He then tries to throw Shane off but Shane fights it off. Owens decides that discretion is the better part of valour and he heads down.

Shane cuts him off on the way down and Owens ends up falling through the announce table. Shane refuses to pin him though and decides that he wants to crush him from the top of the cell. He places him on the announce table and heads back up. 

Shane jumps off the cell but somebody pulls Owens off the table. It's Sami Zayn! The paramedics come out to check on Shane but Sami drags Owens over for the pin. Owens wins. 

This was a solid match that was pushed above that by a really good story. There was a problem with the match though, it was really fucking long. That's fine if you have two great wrestlers but one of them was Shane McMahon. The twist at the end was really good though. ***1/2

Overall Grade - C+

This show started off in just about as good a way as is possible. The New Day vs Usos HIAC match was spectacularly well done. The slow really slowed down in the middle and even though the main event was overly long, it was still a fun spectacle. 

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